Former Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal has criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for organising the second Test match against Bangladesh without fans. He said that playing the match without fans would make Pakistan cricket look like a joke.
The Test match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is scheduled to take place on August 21. Rawalpindi will host the first match while the second is scheduled to be held on August 30 in Karachi. The two matches will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Recently, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played behind closed doors. Fans will not be allowed in the stadium as the governing body is preparing the stadium for the Champions Trophy.
The PCB has taken this decision in view of the ongoing construction work at the National Stadium in Karachi as they want the stadium to be fully ready for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be played in Pakistan in February-March next year.
Speaking about the second Test match being played behind closed doors, Kamran Akmal said that it would be a joke if the Test match was played without fans. He stressed that they could have organised the match in Faisalabad or Multan. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:
“The second Test match will be played in Karachi. I think you already know that renovations are going on in Karachi. They are preparing a stadium for the Champions Trophy. So it will be a joke for Pakistan if Test matches are played in Pakistan without an audience. And we don’t just have two or three stadiums, we also have the Faisalabad Stadium. We could have played there as well, it is a first-class stadium. A lot of cricket has been played there.
“After that, there is a stadium in Multan. And you know Multan stadium is very good. And the crowd also goes there. So you know this is your stadium, you could have put another Test match in one of these two venues. So it would have been good. So I think it will be an international joke of our cricket. These things should not happen. So let us see why this venue has been decided,” said Kamran Akmal.
Pakistan will become an international joke, says Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal stressed that cricket in Pakistan is already on the decline and with the PCB’s decision-making, they will become a joke. He urged the chairman to take strict measures, keeping in mind that Test cricket is already on the decline. He said:
“We already know that this stadium is going to be torn down. A new one is going to be built. Why were all these measures not taken and a decision not taken? You will see how much our international cricket brand has deteriorated,” Kamran Akmal said.
“It is talked about lightly and as a joke. If such a decision is taken, Pakistan cricket will become a joke at the international level. We have to move away from such things. And that will only happen when there is a professional approach, taking everything into account. I feel that when Karachi was chosen as the venue, at that time it was done with eyes closed.
“Whoever decided this, I think the president should ask those who have maintained this place. Well, there is a ground, but if there is no crowd, what interest will there be? Test cricket has come so far. Nobody likes to watch it in Pakistan. So let us see what happens in the future,” concluded Kamran Akmal.
